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Yes, I’m still alive!

Hey all! I know it’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted. This post has been a long time in coming because my design direction took yet another turn. Can you say “squirrel!!”? lol I’ll share what’s been going on so if you want, grab a cup of coffee or hot cocoa (or iced tea if it’s summer where you are!). It’s nothing deep, dark or melodramatic. Just the ramblings of a creative mind lol. If you’re a fellow creative, you’ll understand.

I know I was going to share more of my personal life. I had every good intention of adding a tip for Tip Tuesdays. I had every intention of keeping up with the newsletter. Okay, I’ll admit – I struggle with that newsletter. I am not one to subscribe to newsletters unless I absolutely have to, so it was hard for me to put one together much less look forward to doing them. I don’t know what I expect in a newsletter, so wondering what you guys would want left me stumped. I’d get advice from my designer friends, I’d google, I’d look at the couple of newsletters I was receiving and even signed up for a couple more just to see what others put in theirs. I was still stumped, but I eventually felt like I got the hang of it. The newsletter hasn’t gone out for as long as I haven’t posted, mainly because my postings were about new releases in my shops or blog train freebies. And since I haven’t done any of that lately, I went silent. Or dark if we want to be mysterious lol.

I’ve mentioned here before about taking new design directions. I discussed this among my designer friends because I never knew which direction to take. New things would catch my eye. My eye still preferred vintage and shabby chic looks, but I began to have a longing for my creations to be … well … my creations. One of my designer friends encouraged me to doodle and make papers with those. I tried it but didn’t think it was for me. (Hint: that was then lol). After keeping an eye on what sold in my shops, it was by far the vintage style digital papers. So, after discussion again with my friends, I decided to settle on making vintage shabby chic papers. Which I enjoyed doing. But it wasn’t my creations. I was using textures, brushes, and images that weren’t created by me. Yes, the ultimate end design was born out of my head, but I still felt it wasn’t mine.

Designing isn’t cheap. There’s web hosting, keeping up the domain name, leasing Photoshop (and now Adobe Illustrator) monthly, buying products (textures, brushes, etc.) to use in designing. Paying a percentage to the shops where you have your items when – and sometimes IF – they sell. Even offering freebies on a blog or in a newsletter – it still costs. I’ve been very appreciate of the many of you that take the time to leave a note of thanks when downloading freebies. You have no idea how much it makes me smile because you are in the minority who take the time. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The longing for my creations to be my creations continued. One of my designer friends said she was leaving the digital scrapbooking community for various reasons and at the same time, she began putting some beautiful coloring pages on Instagram. Then she put out some creations she’d made on the iPad Pro and as if they weren’t eye-catching enough, she put them on mockups like pillows, stationery, mugs, etc. Another friend had begun doing the same thing with the mockups and my wandering design eye was captured with this new design thing – surface pattern design. It’s what you see everywhere you go. Clothes, fabrics, your planner, stationery, cards, gift bags, etc., etc., etc. Seeing their designs on actual products was mesmerizing! And it was their own designs – doodles and hand drawn designs.

Boom. The Heavens opened and the angels sang. I could create my own doodles, make repeating patterns out of them, and have something that was truly mine. Born of my hand, my idea, my creation. I mulled over buying an iPad Pro because one of the best apps to use with it is Procreate and the Apple Pencil. And that’s what the one friend was using and her creations were – are –  gorgeous! So, adding this to the list above of expenses to pursue this design passion, I went to the store and spent thirty minutes trying to decide if I wanted the big iPad Pro or the newest smaller version. Not the mini – I have one but the Apple Pencil doesn’t work with it and let me say – the Apple Pencil is the bomb. I’m not getting paid to say that either lol. I opted for the iPad Pro with the 10.5″ screen because it’s more portable and I can bring it to work.

I was also looking at the fact that I just turned … sixty, gasp … and I’ve jokingly given my boss a five year notice. For some reason I have sixty-five as when I’d love to retire. Being the hubs and I would like to maybe do some more traveling, I’d love to have some extra income from – hopefully and prayerfully – my pattern creations. Although some of my creations can be used to make papers, I’m focusing on – for now anyway – learning how to make designs to work on products so that the designs can be licensed.

Many of you know that when I stepped into digital scrapbook designing, it was out of my love of digital design because I do not scrap in real life. I was helped along the way by several scrapbook designers yet I always felt like a fish out of water learning a craft that I knew nothing about in real life. But eventually, that has led me to what I hope is my true passion. I say “hope” because if you’re a creative in any way, you know that all it takes is a spark to catch your eye and move you in another direction.

Now, just because I’ve found a new design direction doesn’t mean I’ll never have any more digital papers or blog train freebies. I’ve been taking Skillshare classes to learn this new direction so it’s taken me away from here and honestly I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with making papers. But, I did just create some papers using Adobe Illustrator – which is a BEAST compared to Photoshop (for me anyway lol) – and those will be in my shops soon. I may offer them here as a short-term freebie soon.

With the holidays coming up I will probably still be quiet. I’ve been following some other surface pattern designers and checking out their blogs. I really would like to be more sharing when it comes to my life and having more things here than just design because there’s more in my life than that. So, hopefully you’ll stay along with me and see where this new direction takes me. Feel free to follow me on Instagram if you want to see some of this new design direction.

As always, thanks for reading.

-Lisa

2 Comments

  1. I am so glad to hear from you and to know you are still being creative! I can relate to learning the Adobe programs, I am working on mastering Photoshop…and don’t even want to think of playing with Illustrator or any of the other Adobe programs I have on my computer. I know I for one will be waiting on seeing your new work when you email us again (I don’t have Insta)! Good luck with your new endeavor, and hope you’ll share images in future newsletters. Love hearing about what is rambling around in your head! God Bless & Hugs!

    1. Aw, thank you so much!! It can be mind boggling trying to decide which programs to use and the iPad Pro didn’t make it any easier although I’m settling into a method. I think. LOL I just added an Instagram widget over to the right so you and others that may not have Instagram can see what I’m doing. Once I get going with the newsletter again, I’ll certainly share some images. Thanks again and God bless!

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